Herbert Smith Freehills – The future of law is here.
We’re a leading, full-service, global law firm working on some of the world’s biggest cases and deals at the forefront of the world’s most exciting sectors. With an award-winning depth of expertise across a wide variety of sectors, geographies and legal specialisms, we’re the firm where you can build your future in law.
By combining perspectives and potential from diverse backgrounds, we can offer our clients pioneering solutions. With our innovative and inclusive culture, we’re building a law firm ready to lead the future. Our progressive approach allows us to continually break new ground; whether it’s a complex international dispute or a billion-pound, cross-border deal. You’ll add your insight and expertise from day one.
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| Practice Areas |
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| Head quarters | London |
| Number of Offices | 27 |
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| Location of Major International Offices |
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| No of Partners | 158 in the UK , 470 Worldwide |
| No of Lawyers | 1 |
| Average Trainee Salary | £45,000 |
| NQ Salary | £100,000 including bonus |
The future of law is here. Our two-year training contract will offer you the opportunity to become an exceptional lawyer and develop your skills across a range of practice areas. With four, six-month seats to choose from, you can tailor your training contract to suit you from your very first seat. Join us as a trainee and start building your future in law today. We only recruit our future trainees from our vacation schemes and all candidates will have the opportunity at the end of their vacation scheme to interview for a training contract. Who are Herbert Smith Freehills? We are a leading, full-service, global law firm working on some of the world’s biggest cases and deals at the forefront of the world’s most exciting sectors. With an award-winning depth of expertise across a wide variety of sectors, geographies and legal specialisms, we are the place to build your future in law. By combining perspectives and potential from diverse backgrounds, and fostering an innovative and inclusive culture where they can flourish, we are building a law firm ready to lead the future. Our progressive approach allows us to continually pioneer; whether it’s a complex international dispute or a billion-pound, cross-border deal. You’ll add your insight and expertise from day one. What are the benefits?
Why join? DIVERSE As well as ensuring we recruit from a range of backgrounds, we take a roughly equal split of law and non-law students. This diversity of experience and perspectives allows us to develop creative solutions to our clients’ problems. CHALLENGING During your training contract, you’ll undertake over 128 hours of structured learning and development, from interactive workshops to Professional Skills Course training. A partner will mentor you as you progress through your training contract, and in each seat you’ll share your office with either a senior associate or a partner. PROGRESSIVE If you’re keen to develop client relationship skills and business growth strategies, you can join our entrepreneurial Trainee Business Development Committee (TBDC). The TBDC is a trainee-run initiative that empowers trainees to contribute to our business development strategies through networking with clients and building business development skills. You’ll get the opportunity to submit seat preferences before every rotation, including before your first seat, enabling you to tailor your training contract to your specific interests. You can also discuss your preferences with our dedicated trainee HR team. GLOBAL Over 90% of our trainees go on either a client or an international secondment. There are also opportunities to qualify into one of our international offices. What we look for Personal leadership Demonstrate an interest in client relationships and how you would go about building on these. You should also be able to demonstrate good active listening skills and persuasive skills to gain support for ideas. Technical capability As well as considered reasoning and a desire to learn, using initiative is a key skill for a trainee. Think about how you would seek out new opportunities in order to gain a deeper understanding of the role. Intellectual capability Academic excellence should be demonstrated through degree classification. Whilst a minimum of a 2:1 is preferred, we take mitigating circumstances into account. There is space on the application form to include these details which are taken into consideration throughout the application process. Contributions to the team’s success Communication skills are critical for trainees, think about examples where you have been able to bring about positive outcomes by communicating and collaborating with colleagues. Working styles Students can demonstrate this competency by giving examples of organisational skills and showing that they are able to cope well under pressure.
Motivation for a career in law at Herbert Smith Freehills Think about why you have chosen to pursue a career in commercial law, and why Herbert Smith Freehills in particular.
We only recruit our future trainees from our vacation schemes and all candidates will have the opportunity at the end of their vacation scheme to interview for a training contract. These schemes have been specifically designed to build and test the unique combination of skills and potential required to succeed at Herbert Smith Freehills. It’s really important to us that you have the combination of skills and potential that we’re looking for: it will enable you to become a better lawyer, build stronger connections with our team and hit the ground running when you start your career here. It’s a two-way process. The scheme gives you the chance to get to know us and see what life for you would be like at Herbert Smith Freehills before you make a decision about your career. For those who are unable to attend a vacation scheme, please get in touch with Anna O’Dwyer at anna.odwyer@hsf.com to discuss your individual circumstances, which we will consider on a case-by-case basis. | |
| No of Trainees / Yr | 134 |
| Average Retention Rates | 71% |
| Location |
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| Degree class | 2:1, but we take mitigating circumstances into consideration |
| A levels | BBB |
| Sponsorship - LPC | Yes |
| Sponsorship - GDL | Yes |
| Assessment Process |
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| Vacation Scheme Requirement? |
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| Number of Seats | 4 |
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The future of law is here. It’s never too early to start building your future in law. Join us on the Herbert Smith Freehills spring vacation scheme and start today. Explore our firm for yourself, build your connections and find your vocation, with hands-on training from leading lawyers. You’ll have a guaranteed interview for a training contract at the end of the scheme. Who are Herbert Smith Freehills? We are a leading, full-service, global law firm working on some of the world’s biggest cases and deals at the forefront of the world’s most exciting sectors. With an award-winning depth of expertise across a wide variety of sectors, geographies and legal specialisms, we are the place to build your future in law. By combining perspectives and potential from diverse backgrounds, and fostering an innovative and inclusive culture where they can flourish, we are building a law firm ready to lead the future. Our progressive approach allows us to continually pioneer; whether it’s a complex international dispute or a billion-pound, cross-border deal. You’ll add your insight and expertise from day one. What are the benefits?
What will I be doing? Our vacation schemes immerse you in our work, networks and the international world of law. Key features:
Key dates Spring
Summer
Winter
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| No of Vacation Schemes / yr | 100 |
| Location |
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| Degree class | Academic excellence should be demonstrated through degree classification. Whilst a minimum of a 2:1 is preferred, we take mitigating circumstances into account. There is space on the application form to include these details which are taken into consideration throughout the application process. |
| A levels | BBB |
| Training Contract Interview included? | Yes |
| Assessment Process |
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| Number of Open Days | 2 |
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First Year Workshops Experiencing life at a law firm during your first year of study opens up a world of opportunities. You’ll discover what it’s like to be a lawyer, the work we do, how we do it and how we think. It’s a great way to learn if a career in law is right for you and it will give you the tools to make a successful application for a vacation scheme later on. What will I be doing? Each spring, we run two-day workshops at our London office. You’ll hear from leading lawyers, take part in interactive sessions covering subjects like Corporate Negotiation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, insights into our pro bono work, and a careers fair. You’ll also get to shadow one of our current trainees, followed by an evening social event. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a good idea of what life at the firm is really like and whether you could build a future here. What we look for? You don’t need to study law to attend. In fact, we welcome students from a wide range of academic backgrounds. We’re looking for people with motivation for a career in law, strong academics and individuals with the potential to become exceptional lawyers. ————————————————————————————————————————- Campus Ambassadors First year students can apply to take on the campus ambassador role during their second year of study. As a campus ambassador, you’ll need the passion and communication skills to inspire other students, both in person and on social media. In doing this, you’ll help your peers plan for their future careers by educating them about the opportunities available at Herbert Smith Freehills. Being a campus ambassador offers you work experience, the chance to hone key transferable skills for any professional career and gain a unique insight into our firm; as well as the chance to start building up your reputation and your legal network. What we look for? You don’t need to study law to be a campus ambassador. In fact, we welcome students from a wide range of academic backgrounds. We’re looking for people with strong communication skills, enthusiasm and creativity. What will I be doing? The position of campus ambassador provides you with invaluable experience, gives you further insight into the firm, prepares you for the vacation scheme application process, and involves:
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